Kai Kara-France knows what it feels like to be counted out.
This Saturday night, ‘Don’t Blink’ will look to flip the script and score the biggest win of his mixed martial arts career when he challenges Alexandre Pantoja for the UFC flyweight world championship. It all goes down at UFC 317 when the promotion puts a cap on its annual International Fight Week festivities in Las Vegas.
As it stands, Pantoja is a -240 favorite to leave ‘Sin City’ with his 125-pound crown intact.
Being an underdog is nothing new to Kara-France, but with the whole of New Zealand standing behind him, ‘Don’t Blink’ is ready to take the flyweight throne by force and kickstart a whole new era inside the Octagon.
“I’ve always been counted out, always been the underdog,” Kara-France told MMA Fighting. “People have been overlooking me my whole life, and here I am, still fighting, still getting a world title. This fight’s bigger than me because of what I’m bringing into this—I’m not just being a fighter, I’m bringing my whole country behind me, my culture, and putting that on the spotlight, bringing that to the world stage.
“That’s what’s fueling me—I’m hungry, focused, and ready to get this done.”
Kai Kara-France and Alexandre Pantoja run it back nearly a decade later
After seeing some struggles inside the Octagon against Brandon Moreno and Amir Albazi, Kara-France bounced back with a big first-round knockout against one-time title challenger Steve Erceg in August. Overall, the Kiwi is 8-4 under the UFC banner, including notable wins against Rogério Bontorin, Cody Garbrandt, and Askar Askarov.
He is 3-2 in his last five, while Pantoja rides into his fourth flyweight title defense on a seven-fight win streak dating back to early 2021.
Their clash at UFC 317 will serve as a rematch nine years removed from their first-ever meeting on The Ultimate Fighter 24 in 2016. Pantoja won the quarterfinal bout via decision before being eliminated in the semifinals.
